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Facts
Introduction Bats are essential to the health of our natural world. They help control pests and are vital pollinators and seed-dispersers for countless plants. Yet these wonderfully diverse and beneficial creatures are among the least studied and most misunderstood of animals. Centuries of myths and misinformation still generate needless fears and threaten bats and their habitats around the world. Bat populations are declining almost everywhere. Losing bats would have devastating consequences for natural ecosystems and human economies. Knowledge is the key. Bat Conservation International has been combining education, research and conservation to protect bats worldwide since 1982. The more than 1,200 species of bats – about one-fifth of all mammal species – are incredibly diverse. They range from the world's smallest mammal, the tiny bumblebee bat that weighs less than a penny to giant flying foxes with six-foot wingspans. Except for the most extreme desert and polar regions, bats have lived in almost every habitat on Earth since the age of the dinosaurs. Bats are primary predators of night-flying insects, including many of the most damaging agricultural pests and others that bedevil the rest of us. More than two-thirds of bat species hunt insects, and they have healthy appetites. A single little brown bat can eat up to 1,000 mosquito-sized insects in a single hour, while a pregnant or lactating female bat typically eats the equivalent of her entire body weight in insects each night. Almost a third of the world's bats feed on the fruit or nectar of plants. In return for their meals, these bats are vital pollinators of countless plants (many of great economic value) and essential seed dispersers with a major role in regenerating rainforests. About 1 percent of bats eat fish, mice, frogs or other small vertebrates. Only three species, all in Latin America, are vampires. They really do feed on blood, although they lap it like kittens rather than sucking it up as horror movies suggest. Even the vampires are useful: an enzyme in their saliva is among the most potent blood-clot dissolvers known and is used to treat human stroke victims. Benefits of Bats Bats are hard at work around the world, fulfilling tasks that are vital to healthy ecosystems and human economies. Many of the more than 1,200 bat species consume vast amounts of insects, including some of the most damaging agricultural pests. Others pollinate countless plants, ensuring the production of fruits that support local economies, as well as diverse animal populations. Fruit-eating bats in the tropics disperse seeds that are critical to restoring cleared or damaged rainforests. Even bat droppings (called guano) are valuable as a rich natural fertilizer. Guano was a major natural resource in the United States a century ago, and it's still mined commercially in many countries. Some biologists consider bats a "keystone" component of ecosystems in parts of the tropics and deserts. Without bats' pollination and seed-dispersing services, local ecosystems could gradually collapse as plants fail to provide food and cover for wildlife species near the base of the food chain. Consider the great baobab tree of the East African savannah. It is so critical to the survival of so many wild species that it is often called the "African Tree of Life." Yet it depends almost exclusively on bats for pollination. Without bats, the Tree of Life could die out, threatening one of our planet's richest ecosystems. Pest control Insectivorous bats are primary predators of night-flying insects, and many very damaging pests are on their menu. Pregnant or nursing mothers of some bat species will consume up to their body weight in insects each night. The millions of Mexican free-tailed bats at BCI's Bracken Cave in Central Texas eat tons of insects each summer night. And a favorite target of Mexican freetails in the United States and Mexico is an especially damaging pest called the corn earworm moth (aka cotton bollworm, tomato fruitworm, etc.) that attacks a host of commercial plants from artichokes to watermelons. Worldwide crop damage from this moth is estimated at more than $1 billion a year, and research in 2006 concluded that freetails save cotton farmers in south-central Texas more than $740,000 annually. Throughout the United States, scientists estimate, bats are worth more than $3.7 billion a year in reduced crop damage and pesticide use. And that, of course, means fewer pesticides enter the ecosystem. Pollinators From deserts to rainforests, nectar-feeding bats are critical pollinators for a wide variety of plants of great economic and ecological value. In North American deserts, giant cacti and agave depend on bats for pollination, while tropical bats pollinate incredible numbers of plants. Most flowering plants cannot produce seeds and fruit without pollination – the process of moving pollen grains from the male part of the flower (the stamen) to the female part (the pistil). This process also improves the genetic diversity of cross-pollinated plants. Bats that drink the sweet nectar inside flowers pick up a dusting of pollen and move it along to other flowers as they feed. A few of the commercial products that depend on bat pollinators for wild or cultivated varieties include: bananas, peaches, durian, cloves, carob and balsa wood. Seed dispersers Vast expanses of the world's rainforest are cleared every year for logging, agriculture, ranching and other uses. And fruit-eating bats are key players in restoring those vital forests. Bats are so effective at dispersing seeds into ravaged forestlands that they've been called the "farmers of the tropics." Regenerating clear-cut forests is a complex natural process, one that requires seed-scattering by birds, primates and other animals as well as bats. But birds are wary of crossing large, open spaces where flying predators can attack, so they typically drop seeds directly beneath their perches. Night-foraging fruit bats, on the other hand, often cover large distances each night, are quite willing to cross clearings and typically defecate in flight, scattering far more seeds than birds across cleared areas. And many of the bat-dispersed seeds are from hardy pioneer plants, the first to grow in the hot, dry conditions of clearings. As these plants grow, they provide the shelter that lets other, more delicate plants grow. Seeds dropped by bats can account for up to 95 percent of the first new growth. The pioneer plants also offer cover and perches for birds and primates, so they can add still more, different seeds to the mix that can lead eventually to a renewed forest. Bats have been reported dispersing the seeds of avocado, dates, figs, and cashews. Bat Anatomy Glossary Calcar: A long, bony spur on the bat's ankle that helps support the tail membrane. Forearm, fingers, and thumb: Bats' forelimbs include most of the same components as those of other mammals, but the hands and fingers are elongated to support and manipulate the wings. Nose leaf: A flap of skin above the nostrils of some bats. Among New World species with this feature, it usually is triangular and rises vertically from the tip of the nose. Tail membrane: Also called the "interfemoral membrane," this spans the area between a bat's legs and tail. Tragus: A flap of skin at the base of the external ear. It often rises vertically like a small sword. Wing membrane: A thin double layer of skin that forms the bat's flying surface. Bat Behavior Feeding & Roosting Behavior Most bat species eat insects, while many tropical species feed exclusively on fruit or nectar. A few are carnivorous, hunting such small vertebrates as fish, frogs, mice and birds. Three species of vampire bats, all in Latin America, feed on the blood of birds or mammals. With the exception of three species of nectar-feeding bats that live along the Mexican border of Arizona and Texas and the Jamaican fruit bat in the Florida Keys, all bats in the United States and Canada are insectivorous. Bats can be found living in almost any conceivable shelter, though they are best known for living in caves. Many species that now live mostly in buildings do so, at least in part, because of shrinking natural habitat. Tropical species occupy a wider range of roost sites than other species. For example, some make tent-like roosts by biting through the midribs of large leaves. Several species have suction discs on their wings and feet that enable them to live in the slick-walled cavities formed by unfurling leaves, such as those of the banana plant. Others live in animal burrows, flowers, termite nests and even in large tropical spider webs. Despite the wide variety of roosts used by bats, many species have adapted to living in roosts of only one or a few types and cannot survive anywhere else. Courtship, Reproduction & Longevity Most bats that live in temperate regions, such as the United States and Canada, mate in the fall just before entering hibernation. Some sing, do wing displays or other actions to attract mates, but few details are known. Ovulation and fertilization (through sperm that have been dormant in the female reproductive tract since the previous fall) occur in the spring as females emerge from hibernation. Pregnant females then move from hibernating sites (hibernacula) to warmer roosts, where they form nursery colonies. Birth occurs approximately a month and a half to two months later. The young grow rapidly, often learning to fly within three weeks. While the pups are being reared, males and non-reproductive females often segregate into separate groups called bachelor colonies. Some tropical bats engage in elaborate courtship displays. For example, male epauleted bats sing and flash large fluffs of white shoulder fur to attract mates, while male crested bats perform a spectacular display by expanding long hairs on top of the head, similar to a peacock spreading its tail. At least a few tropical species are monogamous, sharing hunting and family duties. Vampire bats even adopt orphans, unusual for any wild animal. Bats are, for their size, the slowest reproducing mammals on earth. On average, mother bats rear only one young per year, and some do not give birth until they are two or more years old. Exceptionally long-lived, there is a record of a bat that survived in the wild for 41 years, and bats of a number of species live 15 to 20 years or more. Field mice, by contrast, rarely live beyond 3 to 4 years. Navigation/Migration Like dolphins, most bats communicate and navigate with high-frequency sounds. They hunt insects and avoid collisions at night by sending out "echolocation" beeps and analyzing the echoes that come bouncing back. Using sound alone, bats can see everything but color, and in total darkness they can detect obstacles as fine as a human hair. This unique biological sonar system is considered far more efficient than any similar system developed by humans. In addition, bats are not blind and many have excellent vision. In temperate regions, cold winters force bats to migrate or hibernate. Most travel less than 300 miles to find a suitable cave or abandoned mine, where they remain for up to six months or more, surviving solely on stored fat reserves. However, several species are long-distance migrators, traveling from as far north as Canada to the Gulf Coast states or Mexico for the winter. A few species can survive short-term exposure to sub-freezing temperatures, enabling them to overwinter in cliff faces or in the outer walls of buildings. Bats usually are very loyal to their birthplaces and hibernation sites, but how they find their way over the long distances that often exist between their hibernating and summer caves remains largely a mystery. It appears that some orient visually, using mountain ranges and other landmarks to guide them, but a few are known to have found their way even when blinded. Information about how to find obscure sites, such as small cave entrances, apparently is passed on from generation to generation. Origins & Relatives Bat fossils have been found that date back about 50 million years. Surprisingly, the bats of that ancient era very closely resembled those we know today. Bats have been around for a very long time. Before humans began to affect their numbers, bats were extremely abundant. In some places, they probably dominated the night skies just as passenger pigeons filled the daytime skies of the eastern United States until the mid-nineteenth century. In the evolution of nature's system of checks and balances, bats long have played essential roles, and their loss today could compromise the health and stability of our environment. Bats are mammals of the taxonomic order Chiroptera, which means hand-wing. All living bat species fit into one of two major groups, the Microchiroptera or the Megachiroptera. Members of Megachiroptera are commonly referred to as flying foxes because of their fox-like faces. They are found only in the Old World tropics, while the Microchiroptera, which are highly varied in appearance, occur worldwide. Like humans, bats give birth to poorly developed young and nurse them from a pair of pectoral breasts. In fact, Linnaeus, the father of modern taxonomy, was so impressed by the similarities between bats and primates (lemurs, monkeys, apes, and humans) that he originally put them into the same taxonomic group. Today's scientists generally agree that primates and bats share a common shrew-like ancestor, but belong to separate groups. CITATION: Tuttle, Merlin D. "Intro to Bats." Intro to Bats. Bat Conservation International, 01 Apr. 2011. Web. 03 Feb. 2014. Top Bat Facts You may be thinking that a bat is just a creature that flies, but there is so much more to these animals than most people think. Bats play a crucial role in the pollination process. They help with the pollination of flowers and to distribute fruit seeds.You may be thinking that a bat is just acreature that flies, but there is so much more to these animals than most people think. If you often view them as a nuisance, you may be more tolerant of them if you find out more about them. With so many myths, learning the facts is a good idea. The design of the webbed wings on the bat classify them as the only true mammals to be able to fly. Many argue this point but the scientific view is that other creatures are able to glide rather than to really fly. There are more than 1,200 species of bats in the world. 70% of bats consume insects and small bugs for food. The other 30% consume various types of fruit. Only a small number of bats feed on blood. Bats seem to do very well living in various environments. Therefore they are found in almost every location in the world. The smallest bats are the Kitti’s Hog-Nosed Bat and they weigh less than an ounce. They are about 1 ½ inches long. The largest bats in the world are the Giant Golden Crowned Flying Fox. They weigh about 3 pounds and can be close to 5 feet long. Due to the look of bats, they are sometimes mistaken for being a member of therodent family. Terms including flying rodent and flying rats can be found in many writings. However, DNA evidence proves that they aren’t part of the rodent family at all. Bats are mammals. They use echolation to be able to hear and to communicate. This is why they can find their prey in complete darkness without any difficulty. Some species of bats don’t see well at all but others have the ability to see long ranges. They can even detect ultraviolet lighting. The wings of bats are made up of cartilage with small amounts of calcium. The bones are similar to human fingers but they are more flexible. Merkel cells are found in the wings of bats. These areas are highly sensitive to touch. The shape of the bat wings will vary based on the wind direction and speed. Bats do need to drink water, and some of them can to it while in flight. The bat has a very long tongue that it uses for feeding and pollination. When not in use the tongue is wound up around the rib cage. Bats usually breed in the spring time. A female can have one, two, or three litters though during that period of time. There is usually only one young born at a time. The wings of young bats aren’t fully developed at birth. The typical life span for a bat is approximately 20 years. While bats typically do sleep during the day, they also take part in some other activities. This includes grooming, and socializing with each other. Bats communicate with high pitched sounds that humans can’t even here. This is why it is often believed that bats don’t interact yet that isn’t true. Vampire bats feed mainly on the blood of cattle. This is the only species of bat that only feeds from this type of nourishment. Very few species of bats though feed on blood. The dung of bats is very rich, and in some parts of the world farmers collect it to use as fertilizer. This dung was also used during the Civil War to make gun powder. CITATION: "Facts about Bats." Bat Facts and Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2014.